Saturday, July 30, 2011

To coincide with this weekend's release of Cowboys and Aliens, in which extraterrestrial beings invade the Old West, here's a look at a few movies that pit cowboys against other fantastic creatures and strange environments.

Mighty Joe Young

Mighty Joe Young - Cowboys vs. Gorilla
Showman Max O'Hara wants a special attraction for his new safari-themed nightclub, so he hires a band of cowpokes to accompany him to Africa in order to capture lions — by lassoing them(!). By chance, they encounter a giant gorilla and attempt to lasso it instead, much to the annoyance of the gorilla and the young woman who raised it. O'Hara convinces the woman to headline at his club, but it soon becomes apparent that neither she nor her gorilla are cut out for the rigors of show biz.

The Valley of Gwangi

The Valley of Gwangi - Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs
In turn-of-the-century Mexico, the owners of a Wild West Show discover a unique attraction — a living Eohippus, the pint-sized prehistoric predecessor to the modern horse. When the animal is stolen and returned to the hidden valley from which it was taken, the show's wranglers give chase — and end up face-to-face with a living dinosaur bent on destruction.

Friday, July 15, 2011

With today's release of the last Harry Potter movie, Second Reel presents a look at several memorable moments from the series and their counterparts from other films.

Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone

Star Wars:
A New Hope

Excalibur

On his eleventh birthday Harry is visited by Hagrid, a man from the magical world who tells Harry his parents were not Muggles who died in a car crash, but wizards who died fighting the Dark Lord Voldemort. Hagrid tells Harry that he, too, is to be educated as a wizard.

Luke Skywalker encounters the Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi — described by Luke's uncle as a "wizard" — who tells Luke that his father was not a space navigator but a great warrior who died fighting a corrupt Jedi named Darth Vader; Obi-Wan invites Luke to accompany him on a rescue mission and to learn the ways of the Jedi.

After extricating the legendary sword Excalibur from a rock, young Arthur is confronted by the wizard Merlin, who tells him that his father was actually King Uther, and that Arthur, too, is destined to be king.

Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone

Clash of the Titans
(1981)

The Lord of the Rings:
The Two Towers

Harry is given a magical cloak that makes him invisible, much like the helmet bestowed by the gods upon Perseus. Frodo's cloak, given to him by elves, has the power to conceal by mimicking its surroundings, at one time looking like a rock in the presence of Sauron's minions.

Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets

Clash of the Titans
(1981)

Harry must defeat the basilisk, a giant serpent whose stare petrifies anyone who looks it in the eye. Perseus must battle Medusa, a half-woman, half-serpent creature who can turn men to stone with her eyes and which, like the basilisk, can only be safely viewed in reflection. The heroes use severed parts of the creatures to save the lives of their future wives: Harry uses a basilisk fang to vanquish the fragment of Voldemort's soul that threatens to kill Ginny, and Perseus uses Medusa's severed head to petrify the Kraken before it can kill Andromeda.

Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban

Cinderella

When school is not in session, orphan Harry lives with his only remaining family — the Dursleys, who never conceal their animosity toward Harry and treat him horribly, all the while lavishing attention on their bratty son Dudley. Lady Tremaine and her cruel, spoiled daughters are just as unpleasant to Cinderella.

Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire

The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring

Harry looks into Dumbledore's Pensieve, a basin full of the professor's swirling memories. In it, Harry sees a scene from Dumbledore's past which has bearing on Harry's present. Frodo is invited to look into the Mirror of Galadriel, a basin which shows visions of past, present, and possible futures. Frodo sees what things might be like if he fails to destroy the One Ring, and he changes his present plans in response.

Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix

Star Wars:
Return of the Jedi

After battling Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic and learning of a prophecy made about him and Voldemort, Harry has a frightening realization. "It means one of us is gonna have to kill the other, in the end." Dumbledore solemnly confirms the fact. After Luke unsuccessfully duels Darth Vader in Cloud City, the spirit of Obi-Wan tells him, "You can not escape your destiny. You must face Darth Vader again," this time to kill him.

Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince

X-Men:
The Last Stand

In flashback, Dumbledore meets Tom Riddle — the future Voldemort — for the first time in order to enroll him at Hogwarts. Tom lives at an orphanage where an apprehensive headmistress tells Dumbledore that strange events surround the boy. Acknowledging the unusual abilities that Tom claims to have, Dumbledore tells him, "I'm like you, Tom. I'm different," adding "At Hogwarts you'll be taught not only to use magic, but how to control it."

Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr — the future Professor X and Magneto — visit young telepath Jean Grey — the future villain Dark Phoenix — to enroll her at their academy for mutants with similar powers. "We're mutants, Jean," says Xavier. "We're like you." After witnessing her potentially dangerous power, Xavier says, "The question is, will you control that power or let it control you?"

Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince

The Ten Commandments
(1956)

To protect himself and Harry from a horde of Inferi, Dumbledore produces a swirling ring of fire that keeps the reanimated corpses at bay. Moses witnesses a column of swirling fire which prevents the Egyptian army from overtaking the Israelites as they flee across the desert.

Dumbledore then creates a clearing in the fire through which he and Harry escape, much in the same way that Moses parts the Red Sea so he can lead his people to safety.

Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince

The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring

Harry and Frodo watch helplessly as their wizard mentors fall to their deaths from a great height. Both Harry and Frodo later replay the wizards' deaths in their thoughts or dreams.

Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows, Part 1

The Lord of the Rings:
The Return of the King

As a provision of Dumbledore's will, Harry's friend Ron is given the late headmaster's Deluminator, a magical device that pulls the light from lamps, "in the hope that, when things seem most dark it will show him the light." Ron later uses the Deluminator to find his way back to Harry and Hermione.

The Elf queen Galadriel gives Frodo a magical phial of light, saying "May it be a light for you in dark places when all other lights go out." Frodo's friend Sam later uses the phial to battle the spider Shelob and reunite with Frodo.

Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows, Part 1

The Lord of the Rings:
The Two Towers

Harry and his friends wander the wilderness thinking of how to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes — magical objects the evil wizard needs in order to become all-powerful. Frodo, Sam, and Gollum wander the wilderness en route to destroy Sauron's ring, a magical object the Dark Lord needs in order to become all-powerful.

Along the way, the three are captured by agents of Voldemort and questioned about their possession of the sword of Gryffindor before they are able to escape. Frodo and his companions are also captured and questioned by Gondorian rangers about their possession of the One Ring before they are released.

Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows, Part 1

The Lord of the Rings:
The Two Towers

The friends take turns carrying Voldemort's locket around their necks. The locket has negative personality-altering effects on all three wearers, demonstrated when Ron, under the locket's influence, angrily abandons his friends. While worn on a chain around his neck, the One Ring has a similar effect on Frodo, who attacks Sam after Sam saves him from one of Sauron's Ringwraiths.

Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows, Part 1

The Lord of the Rings:
The Two Towers

While wearing the locket Horcrux, Harry begins to have visions of Voldemort's activities, clearly seeing the Dark Lord as he quests for the Deathly Hallows. While wearing the One Ring, Frodo has visions of the Eye of Sauron, which is desperately seeking the ring Frodo carries.